Page 30 - MetalForming December 2015

Fiber Laser
Air-assist gas cuts operating cost to $4/hr. when operating a new fiber-laser cutting machine at Doyle Manufacturing, while optimum machine performance slashes part- processing time by more than 90 percent.
Can a machine-tool acquisition change the way a 50-yr.-old equip- ment manufacturer approaches metal fabrication? When it’s a fiber-laser system that reduces processing time by more than 90 percent, and cuts with air- assist gas at a fraction of the cost of nitro- gen, the answer is clear.
“Our new fiber laser is a game- changer,” says Stuart Rumple, produc- tion manager at Doyle Equipment Manufacturing, Quincy, IL. The firm manufactures dry bulk material-han- dling equipment for a worldwide cus- tomer base in the fertilizer industry
“This was a technology leap for our company, and it’s the best thing we’ve ever done to increase productivity,” Rum- ple continues. “It has changed the way we think about how we manufacture.”
Doyle’s new fiber laser, a model CL- 940 from Cincinnati Inc., Cincinnati, OH, replaced two aging CO2-laser cut- ting machines—1500- and 3000-W models. And, immediately reduced processing time when cutting compo- nents for Doyle’s equipment—from 64 hr. down to 4 hr. The CL-940 also has reduced operating costs and helped the company stay current on manu- facturing techniques that lead to high- er productivity.
“Our results from operating the fiber laser with air assist have made us much more open to new ideas, equipment and techniques,” says Rumple. “Now we focus on processing the right mate- rial with the right machine for the most efficient results.”
Doyle Equipment manufactures a complete line of dry bulk material handling-equip- ment for the fertilizer industry, including blenders and spreaders. Shown is a 2-ton spreader. According to the Doyle website, spreader hoppers are constructed of laser- cut 14-gauge Type 304 stainless steel, with seams continuously welded inside and out. The gear case also is of laser-cut 304 stainless. The frame assembly is of heavy-duty mild-steel tubing and laser-cut corner braces. And, the twin 191⁄4-in. spinner dishes also are fabricated from heavy-duty mild steel, with each dish including three laser-cut blade-location holes.
28 MetalForming/December 2015
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Higher Productivity: A Breath of Fresh Air
Doyle Equipment Manufacturing, which also runs a second manufactur- ing operation in Palmyra, MO, employs 150 people in the manufacture of con- veying, blending, tending and spread- ing equipment. It fabricates more than 11,000 parts, with annual order quan- tities ranging from a few to more than 10,000 pieces. More than 90 percent of all Doyle parts, primarily of stainless steel, are processed via laser-cutting machines, so highly productive cut-
ting is a key to the company’s cost-effi- cient operations.
Rumple and the team at Doyle first witnessed the ability to laser-cut with air assist on a fiber laser during a train- ing session at Cincinnati Inc.
“We saw it was possible, but didn’t know what materials and thicknesses it would work best with,” Rumple says. “We also thought the low pressure of shop air would be a limiting factor, so we decided to perform test cuts with breathing-quality air to see if we could make it work.”